


Normality

by Viridian5



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Behind the Scenes, Gen, Humor, Mountie Slayer universe, Original Character-centric, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-06-24
Updated: 2002-06-24
Packaged: 2017-12-30 20:19:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1022960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridian5/pseuds/Viridian5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Von knows that you can get used to anything eventually, but he’s not taking the blame....</p><p>(In the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20051104082757/http://wyrmrock.com/leatherpancake/tales.html">Mountie Slayer universe</a>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Normality

**Author's Note:**

> The [Mountie Slayer universe](http://web.archive.org/web/20051104082757/http://wyrmrock.com/leatherpancake/tales.html) belongs to several people, none of them me. The more approachable, less corporate owners of some of the characters gave me permission to play. I doubt this story will make much sense without catching some background in that universe first.
> 
> The Mountie Slayer universe by [EA Karras](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Anne) and Magnes is a _due South_ / _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ hybrid 'verse that became its own thing over time. Tom Grissom, James Calhoun and Skyler Vonderhausen are also the property of EA Karras and Magnes. Other characters belong to their respected copyright holders. This fic takes place between Arc 4 and 5, we figure.
> 
> June is Von Month. What else could I do?

The pounding at the door woke Von up. Only one person knocked like that, and you didn’t keep him waiting. "Coming!" Von yelled groggily as he struggled, half-conscious, out of his tangle of sheets. He’d had just enough energy before to wash up before falling into bed next to Willow.

Willow had left sometime since then, but it wasn’t like Von could ever be alone anymore, not with Tara inside him. It was a good thought.

When Von opened the door, he saw his Elder and, damn it, the Consort waiting for him. "You look like shit, Von," his Elder said in greeting.

"Good morning to you too." Morning or whatever it was. "You don’t look much better." Neither did the Consort.

Calhoun gave him a look that Von always interpreted as "I haven’t got time for the pain," then said, "I need you to keep an eye on Tom, help keep him protected."

Consort-sitting. Again. Still. A person who knew what a trouble magnet Tom Grissom could be knew better than to think that a grown man should be able to take care of himself. Hell, at least half the people Von knew attracted trouble like that.

"It’s an order," Calhoun said.

Of course it was. "What will you be doing?"

"I have some things to look into."

Which was as much of an answer as Von was going to get when his Elder got into a "need to know" attitude. Since "Don’t get your ass kicked, sir" wouldn’t have gone over well, Von instead answered, "Yeah, yeah."

Once Calhoun went off to do whatever he was going to and Von got the door closed, Von asked, "Hungry?"

"Just tired," Tom answered. "Bed?"

Von didn’t even hesitate much first anymore. "Yeah."

He let Tom in first to put the Consort on the side of the bed closest to the wall, making it so most of the things that might try to attack them had to get through Von first. Then Von got under the covers next to him. 

Sharing a bed with Tom wasn’t anything like sharing a bed with Willow, to Von’s relief and discomfort. Relief, because no way in hell he had the same relationship with the Consort as he did with Willow, but discomfort because... because Tom ended up doing what Tom was doing now, curling up next to him, stroking and grooming his hair, purring in contentment. And Von kind of liked it.

The first time this happened they’d been on the floor in front of the TV and Von had dozed off. He came half-awake to the Consort petting his hair and purring but been too tired to move. He hadn’t _liked_ it or anything, mind. Then it happened another time. The third time he got tired he just went to bed, knowing he always woke up grumpy and achy when he fell asleep on the floor, and told himself that he was surprised when he woke up with Tom curled up next to him in the bed.

It was better to keep the Consort calm and comfortable, right? Made Calhoun more content. Made less trouble for everybody. Von was being a good Second.

He didn’t know how Calhoun would react to walking in on them while they were like this. Saying that he’d far rather share a bed with Calhoun probably wouldn’t improve that situation at all.

It wasn’t like he always fell asleep with Tom. Lots of times he Consort-sat fully awake and as annoyed with Tom as he always was. The way it should be. This was--

This was Tara’s fault, probably. Her soft heart, since Von didn’t have one. A guy who hosted his dead girlfriend’s spirit got odd thoughts after all, like that he was the hard, protective shell around the warm, golden glow of her, keeping her safe now the way he’d failed to while she was alive....

Tara sent a wave of reassurance through him and refused to let him think like that when it hadn’t been his fault, while Tom held him tighter, like he was a big cat toy. Or someone to be comforted. No, Tom was just getting comfortable.

Von could fall asleep like this. He had in the past. He did now.

   

### End


End file.
